Baseball game



' April 7, 1931. MaccQLLQM 1,799,241

BASEBALL GAME Filed Aug. 4 192 INVENTOR Patented Apr. 7, 1931 JOHNMACCOLLOM, E JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY BASEBALL GAME ApplicationfiledhAugust 4, 1928. Serial No. 297,399.

This invention relates to baseball games. It is a well-known fact in thetoy trade, that the present baseball games depend for their playing uponsome element of chance.

That is to say, upon the throwing of dice,

the spin of a top or some mechanical device wherein theskill of theplayer takes no part. Therefore, one object of this invention is toproduce a device wherein the skillof the player will alone decide theresults.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a device wherein theplayers may actually play the game instead of merelymoving countersaround a board. j A further object of the invention is to produce asimple inexpensive device which may be used on a table, on the floor oron any flat surface.

be small and. compact so that it will occupy but a small space.

' A further object of the invention is to produce a device which may bemade for use on 5 a small-table, or which may be made on a large'scal'efor use in theopen without having to change the construction except insize. The invention consists of the construction, combination andarrangement of parts as herein illustrated, described and claimed,

In. the accompanying drawings forming part hereof is illustrated oneform of embodiment of the invention, in which drawings similar reference7 characters designate corresponding parts, and in which;

Figure '1 is a perspective view; and,

Figure 2 isa vertical section'taken approx imatelyjon line -2--2- ofFigure 1, looking in AD the direction indicated by the arrows.

' Referring tothedrawings, 1 designates abase having end portions and afront wall 3: The base lmay' be made ofmetal, wood or any material whichwill readilylend itself tomanufacture. I j j f V Disposedin the'basel,near the rear part thereof, is a guide or runway 4, which for thepurpose of the gameis considered to be the 1st base line. Beginning atapoint adj acent the end of the lstbase line andin front of the same,*isa second depression-or guide ible material.

5, intended as a 2nd baseline. The third" guide 6 leads from a pointadjacent the open end of the 2nd base line to the home base.

Disposed on the front edge 3 of the base 1, area plurality ofvprojecting flanges 7, .preferably made of a single strip of bent metal.The flanges 7 are provided near the top with openings 8, through whichis disposed a rod" 9. The rod 9 may be made of rigid or of flex-Disposed on the rod 9 and between each pair of flanges 7 is adoor orshutter 10 which is formedof a single piece of material bent upon itselfso as to engage the rod 9. The doors 10 are made so that they mayrevolve freely about the rod 9.

The enclosures thus "made by the front wall 3 of the base 1, flanges 7and the doors 10 are placed at various points along the frontedge 3 ofthe base 1, so as to be {adjacentthe open ends of the baselines 5, and 6respectively. 7

Disposed in the base 1 is a socket 11, which carries a standard 12 whichis free to rotate. The upper part 13 of the standard 12 may be made inthe form of a baseball player 13 tocarry out the similitude of the game.However. the figure 13 may bemade simply as an'extension of the standard12.

Disposed on the figure 13 and at right angles thereto, is an adjustablebat 14. Also disposed on the figure 13 and at apoint. above the bat 14is a ballsupport 15. 1 The ball support 15 is at'right angles to thefigure 13, and also at right angles to the bat '14. i

The ball support 15 is providedrwith a plurality of curved openings 16.The openings 16 are'curved so that when the game is played, ashereinafteudescribed,the ball will fall in a vertical line instead ofbeing thrown off at a tangent, as would happen if the openings 16 werestraight. A number of balls Bare provided in order to play the game.

The game is-played by two or more play- 1 ers. The usual rules ofbaseball are followed, or they may be modified by the players. 1 Thegame isplayed as follows j The figure 13' is placed in the positionshownin Figure 1' and a hall is disposed in one of the openings 16. Theplayer who is at bat strikes the bat 14 with his finger or hand, thiscauses the standard 12 to revolve in the socket 11 carrying with it thefigure 13, the bat 14 and the ball support 15. If the bat 14 is hit asharp blow, the ball su ort 15 will be pulled from under the ball B andthe ball will fall. As the ball B falls into the path of movement of thebat 14, it will be struck by the bat l4 and driven out on to the playingfield, which may be a table, floor or any fiat surface.

If the bat 14 is struck too hard, it will revolve too quickly and willpass under the ball B before the ball has fallen into the path ofmovement of the bat. This would be a strike, according to the rules ofbaseball. If the bat 14 is struck too lightly the ball B will fall pastthe path of movement of the bat 14 before it is struck; this also wouldbe a strike.

By adjustment of the bat 14, the trajec- I tory of the ball B may bevaried from a fly to a grounder. When the player who is at bat makes ahit, he immediately starts another ball B rolling from the positionshown in Figure 1 along the base line 4 so that it will roll into thebase enclosure formed by the flanges 7, the doors 10 and the front edge3 of the base 1. At the same time, the player in the field retrieves thebatted ball and rolls or. throws the same toward the base enclosure atthe end of the base line 4.

If the ball rolled from the field reaches the base enclosure before theball which is rolled down the base line 4, the ball from the field willstrike the door 10 causing it to make a complete revolution and willenter the base enclosure. If the ball from the field is rolled quicklythe door 10 will revolve quicklv and in coming back to normal positionwill prevent the ball from rebounding out of the enclosure.

If the ball from the field reaches and enters the enclosure the playeris out. However, if the ball which is rolled along the base line 4reaches the enclosure first, the presence of the ball in the, enclosurewill prevent; the door 10 from revolving and thus prevent the ball fromthe field from entering the enclosure. In this case, the player is safe.If the player is safe a ball is placed in the closed end of the baseline 5 in readiness to be rolled to the base enclosure at the open endof the base line 5. The play is repeated and as herebefore stated, theusual rules of baseball are followed.

In the excitement of the play the ball from the field will often berolled with great force and will, strike at a point between theseveralbase enclosures. As it hits the front edge 3 of the base 1 its reboundwill be brokenby the rod 9. If the ball is rolled slowly, it may freelypass under the rod 9..

Itis a well known law of physics that when a spherical body strikes avertical obstruction the rebound will cause it to jump in the air.Therefore, while the rod 9 is used to break the rebound of a ball itwill not prevent a ball from entering the base enclosure when it strikesthe door 10.

The front edge 3 of the base 1 may be inclined inwardly, as shown by thedotted lines, in order to prevent the rebound of a ball.

The base lines 4 and 5 are made wide enough so that the balls B may rollfreely on their circumferences. However, since the base line 6 isshorter than either the base lines 4 or 5 it becomes necessary to reducethe speed of the ball B to compensate for this difference in length.Therefore, the width of the base line 6 is made less than the diameterof the ball B, so. that the ball does not rest at the bottom of the baseline 6. This causes the ball B to revolve: at a point near itshorizontal axis. The distance covered by one revolution is therefore,less than the distance covered by one revolution of a ball in either ofthe base lines 4 or 5. With the. reduced speed of the ball whentraveling in the base lines 6, the difference in length between the baseline 6 and the base lines 4 and 5 is equalized.

If it is desirable to reduce the speed of the balls so that the batterwill not have an advantage, all of the balls B may be made larger thanthe base lines 4 and 5.

Having thus fully described the invention what is claimed as new anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. A baseball game comprising a base having a plurality of substantiallyparallel guides, enclosures disposed at. the ends of said guides andprovided with revolving doors to permit the entrance of a ball, saiddoors being adapted to make a complete revolution. and prevent a ballfrom leaving the enclosures.

2. A baseball game comprising a base having a plurality of substantiallyparallel guides, enclosures disposed at the ends of said guides andprovided with revolving doors to permit the entrance of a ball, saiddoors being adapted to make a complete revolution to prevent. a ballfrom. leaving the enclosures, and means disposed on the base to preventthe rebound of a ball.

3. A baseball game comprising a rectangular base having a plurality oflongitudinal guides or runways, a rotatable standard disposed in thebase and means carried by the standard to project a balloutwardly fromthe base comprising, a ball carrier and a bat at right angles to thestandard and at right angles with relation to each other.

4. Abaseball game comprising a rectangular support having a series ofsubstantially parallel trough-s therein, base enclosures (lisposed atthe ends. of said troughs and pro: vided with revolving doors to permitthe en:

trance of a ball and a rotatable standard disposed in the support andprovided with a ball carrier and a bat disposed at right angles bothwith relation to the standard and to each other.

5. A baseball game comprising a base, a plurality of guides disposed inthe base, enclosures at the ends of the guides and a rotat able standarddisposed in the base having a bat and a ball support, said bat beingadapted to be manually struck to pull the support from under a ball andto strike the ball in midair.

6. A baseball game comprising a base, a plurality of guides disposed inthe base, enclosures at the ends of the guides and a rotatable batstandard disposed in the base, said standard comprising a verticalsupporting member, a horizontal ball carrier extending from thesupporting member and a horizontal bat extending from the supportingmember, the bat being adapted to be struck so as to pull the ballsupport from under a ball and to strike the ball as it falls from thesuport. p 7. In a baseball game a base having a plurality of runways,one of which is shorter than the others, said shorter runway beingnarrower than the others and of less width than the diameter of a balladapted to roll therealong.

8. In a baseball game a base having a plurality of runways, one of whichis shorter than the others, said shorter runway being narrower than theothers and of less width than the diameter of a ball adapted to rolltherealong so that a ball traveling in the shorter runway will roll at aless speed than one in a longer runway, thus compensating for thedifference in length of the runways.

In testimony whereof he aflixes his signature.

JOHN MAGCOLLOM.

